Jail for Scarborough man who fought with 11 women including police

News reporter

A man knocked a female police officer unconscious by elbowing her in the face after she tried to stop him attacking a group of women.

Ben Middleton, 32, flew into a rage when he saw a photo of himself on Facebook in a state of undress and went round to an address in Scarborough to confront those he thought were responsible for posting the picture online.

Enraged Middleton was convinced his girlfriend had posted the photo and found her at the house along with some of her friends, who were waiting for a taxi outside the property, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Michael Bosomworth said Middleton head-butted one of the women and grabbed his girlfriend round the throat before hitting her and throwing her to the ground.

Another woman tried to intervene but was elbowed in the throat by Middleton, who was turning the air blue with four-letter expletives and punching others in the group.

“There was a general fracas between about six girls and the defendant,” said Mr Bosomworth.

A police car happened to pass by and was flagged down, but when the female officers confronted Middleton, he attacked them too. One of the officers was knocked unconscious when Middleton elbowed her in the face.

About three other female officers, including two traffic constables, were also floored, one of them when Middleton shoulder-barged her to the ground. Middleton ran off but was arrested shortly afterwards.

“He said he had been drinking all day with a friend and had seen these photos on Facebook,” said Mr Bosomworth. “He blamed ‘his lass’ for it.”

Middleton, of Sandybed Lane, Scarborough, initially claimed the women had attacked him first, but Mr Bosomworth said this was “clearly not the evidence”.

The thug said he attacked the officers because he didn’t think he was at fault. He claimed he was annoyed because one of the officers - the police constable he knocked unconscious - had arrested him for a separate matter earlier in the year.

Middleton, who earns good money in property installations, appeared for sentence after admitting affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm during the shocking incident on March 13.

The court heard he had many previous convictions for violence including wounding, GBH and battery in 2007, when he was jailed for two years. His rap sheet also included convictions for being drunk and disorderly, assaulting a police officer, threatening behaviour, criminal damage, breaching court orders, counterfeiting and driving under the influence of drugs.

David Camidge, mitigating, said Middleton was otherwise a hard-working man who was currently carrying out installations at a local monument and bathroom fittings at a hotel.